After a miscarriage, Sam and Nia explain why they don’t regret their viral pregnancy announcement

Popular YouTube couple Sam and Nia Rader posted a video announcing to the world that they were pregnant with their third child. In a twist, Sam, 29, surprised Nia, 26, with a positive pregnancy test using some of her urine from the toilet.

Posted on Aug. 5, “HUSBAND SHOCKS WIFE WITH PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENT!” has received more than 11 million hits on YouTube. The same night they posted the video, Sam said, his wife had a miscarriage at six weeks. The couple announced her miscarriage on Aug. 8 in a video titled, “Our Baby Had a Heartbeat” that has nearly a million views.

“God’s ready to use us in a big way,” Sam said as the video starts. The couple highlights their faith, describing themselves and their children as “a small family of four pointing to a big God and vlogging it all… daily.”

In the same video, his wife explains in tears.

“It just hit us like a bomb. Those of you who have experienced miscarriage before, you know, I can relate now,” she says in the video. “I have felt my womb empty out. I never ever knew that women felt that way.”

In an interview with The Washington Post, Sam, an ER nurse, said he started planning to test her urine about six months ago when they began trying to have a third child. He had tried twice before to test Nia’s urine but those tests were negative. He said that he saw no reason for her to see a doctor after her miscarriage because there was nothing abnormal.

“We don’t have any regrets at all. In fact, it’s been an incredible response we’ve gotten,” Sam said. “We thought at first we should wait to announce the pregnancy. It’s brought so much awareness to miscarriage. It’s kind of taboo and people don’t want to talk about it. We lost a baby and we had a lot of pain, so we brought awareness and we’re thankful for that. I feel like it’s been God’s big plan to show the happiness that babies bring in families.”

Nia said she thought before it happened to her that having a miscarriage wouldn’t be a big deal because they already have two children, Symphony, 5, and Abram, 2.

“I was shattered. It was gut wrenching,” she said in an interview. “It is indescribable until you’ve been there.”

She said thousands of women have reached out to her telling her stories of their own miscarriages.

“It’s like a secret club that nobody knows exists,” she said. “Because of this baby and what it brought, we are very blessed to be opening that door with the hurt and the pain.”

Nia acknowledged that some people have wondered whether the videos were fake, charges Sam said the couple is not responding to.

“I don’t understand how people cope with this without faith, without a community praying for you,” she said. “I feel protected from the hate we’re getting. Faith has been a tremendous factor in our grieving.”

The couple from Terrell, Tex., outside of Dallas attend a non-denominational church.

In their video about miscarriage, Sam said, “We’re so hurt, but we’re so thankful that God used us like this.”

Nia says she relates to women who have experienced something similar. “I just want to say, too, that maybe there’s someone out there who is going through this with us. You know, the Bible says to weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn, and I am mourning with those of you who are feeling this.”

Sam said the video and miscarriage were part of God’s plan.

“I just hope that [the pregnancy announcement] video continues to be a way for God to shine his light to the world through us,” he said. “This is a time when, especially the U.S. needs that light, and God knew that. And this video is just getting so big, never imagined that would happen.”

The couple posted a followup video on Thursday titled, “WE’RE GOING VIRAL!” The Raders, who describes themselves as “high school sweethearts,” were married six years ago. Before their pregnancy announcement, their Disney lip sync videos were their most popularly viewed YouTube videos.